Improved fire-escape



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' WILLIAM H. SIMMONS, OF SKANEATELES, NEW YORK.

Leners Patent No. 90,316, ma May 1s, 18Go.

IMPROVE-D rms-ESCAPE.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

.nying drawings, forming part of this 'specilcatiom in which- Figure l is a vertical longitudinal section of my improved re-escape extension-ladder.

Figure 2 is a verticalcross-section of the same, taken` through the line x x, tig. l.

Figure 3 is a detail view ofthe joint of the ladder,

` part ofthe side-bar being broken a-way.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts. v

My invention has for its object to furnish a simple,

convenient, and eifective apparatus, by means of which remen may be able to conveniently and promptlyreach the upper stories of buildings in case of re, and by means of which persons and property may be conveniently and safely rescued from said upper stories, in case the ordinary means of escape are obstructed; and

It consists in the construction and combination of various parts of the apparatus, as hereinafter more fully described.

A is the running part ofthe apparatus, the forward and rear parts ot' which are connected by a double reach, B, as shown in figs. 1 and 2.

Gis a frame, resting upon and secured to the bol-V sters of the running gearing A.

To the side-bars ofthe frame G,- a little in frontof its middle part, are hinged the lower ends of the sidebars ofthe rack D. y

In bearings'attached to the ,lower part of the sidebars of the rack D, works a shaft, having large gearwheels, E, provided with crank-pins, or handles, attacbed to its ends. A

The teeth of the crank-wheels E mesh into the teeth of the smaller gear-wheels F, attached to the ends of a shaft, workingin bearings attached to the side-bars of the rack D.

G are connecting-rods, the lower ends of which are pivoted to the crank-pins of the gear-wheels F, and the upper ends of which are pivoted to the crank-pins of the crank-wheels H, attached to the lends ofthe shaft I which works in bearlngs'attached to the upper ends of the side-bars of the rack D.

The middle parts of the rods G, are slotted to receive the ends of the rod J, attached to the middle part of the rack D.

rlhe rod J not only keeps the rods G in proper working-position, but serves asa fulcruxn to said rods, to assist them iu operating the crank-wheels H.

K are the sections of the extension-ladder, which are each about ten feet long.

In the upper ends of the side-bars'of each of the sections K, except the upper one, are formed sockets,

into which t the lower ends of the other sections, where they are held in place by springgcatches L, as shown in iig. 3. y

To the inner sides of the side-bars of the sections K are attached toothed racks, M, in such positions that the said sections may slide up and down upon the lcross-bars of the rack D, without touching the teeth of the said racks M. v

The sections K are raised and lowered by the gearwheels N, attached to the shaft I, and the teeth of which mesh into the teeth of the racks M, as shown in iig. 1.

The sections K are held down against the teeth of the gear-wheels N, by passing through a slide, 0, attached to the upper part of the rack D, where the friction may be relieved by friction-rollers, against which the side-bars of the sections K bear.

The ladder is held securely in any-position to which it may be raised, by the pawls P, pivoted to the frame .0, and which take hold of ratchet-wheels, Q, attached to or formed upon the crank-gear wheels E, as shown in tig. 2.

lhc apparatus is kept from being pushed back by the weight ofthe extended ladder, and of the persons or things upon it, by the brace-bars It, which are pivoted to the side-hars of the frame C, in such position that their pointed ends may rest upon the ground, as shown in iig. 1.

When not in use, thc brace-bars R mayr rest upon hooks attached to the side-bars of the said frame O.

S are brackets, attached to the frame C, within which the sections K are placed-when not in use.

The rack D, when not in use, is turned down upon the sections K of the ladder, placed within the brackets S.

T are braces, the upper ends of which are hinged to the side-bars of the rack D, and thclowerends of which, when the said rack D is lowered, rest upon the inclined slides, or guides, U, down which they slide, as thc rack is being elevated, to the racks V, upon the teeth or" which they take hold, to support the rack and extended ladder. A

By changing the posit-ion of the' braces T upon the racksV, the inclination of the lladder may be varied at pleasure.

'lo the upper e d of the upper section K, of the ladder, are attached S-shaped hooks, W, the rear ends of whichare connected to each other, by a cross-bar,

to which is attached the upper end of the rope X, the

lower end of which is attached to and wound around the roller Y, pivoted to the rear end of the frame O, and to the ends of the journals of which are attached cranks, Z, by which the said roller is operated to wind upor unwind the rope vX, to steady the ladder as it is being raised and lowered.

A are springs, attached to the upper ends of the upper sections `K of the ladder, and the free ends df which rest against the, hook YV, and which, when 4the upper end oft-he ladder has been raised to the desired window, and the cranks Z have been released, force the hooks W forward with a sudden blow,so as to break out the window, and catch upon the windowsill. l

B is a belt, madev of leather or other suitable mate- 'i rial, and provided with shelves, or buckets, by which persons or things may` bev lowered from or raised to the top of the ladder. j

The belt B', when in use, passes over a roller, C', pivoted to the upper end of the upper section of the ladder, around a hollow roller, D', working upon the shaft of the gear-crank wheels E, and around the roller E', pivoted to the frame O, and provided with cranks,

by which the said roller-E' is operated to raise and lower `the said belt B'.

The belt B' is-made in sections, and -is provided with clasps, and with hooks or clasps, to secure the said ysections detachably'to each other, so that the length of the belt may b'e regulated to adjust it `vto the length to which the ladder has been extended.

When not in use, and when 4raising; and lowering the ladder, one end of the belt B is attached to the bracki ets F', secured to the upper part of the rack D, and

rlhe spring-catches L may be opened as-theladder I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The extension-ladder, formed of the sections K, adapted to be locked intoeach other automatically as they are raised, by means of the springs L and slide 0, and to be released by pressing the ends of the springs L toward eachV otheiyas herein shown and described. f

2. The combination of the crank-gear wheels E, and their shaft-gear wheels F, and their shaft-connecting rods G, crank-wheels H, gear-wheels N, and their sha I, with each other, with the hinged frame D, and with the toothed racks M, ot' the sections K, substantially as herein shown and described, and for the purposes set forth.

' 3. vThe combination of the guide and fnlc'rum-rod J,

with the slotted middle parts of the connecting-rods GX substantially as herein shown and described, and for the purpose set forth.

v4. IZlhe adjustable belt B', made in sections, and provided with buckets, or shelves, in'combination with the sections K, hollow roller-LD', and crank-roller F', substantially as herein shown and described, and vfor the purpose set forth. i

5. The double hooks W, pivoted to the upper end ofthe upper section K, held in position by the rope X, and adapted to be thrown forward through the window, by the springs Af, when released by said rope, as here in described, for the purposespeciied. l

f v WILLIAM' H SIMMONS.

Witnesses:

PHILIP HARRIs, JERRY SHALLIs'r. 

